96 Eldorado ETC - Blown head gasket

[greggm333]

Hello,

My car has been sitting in the garage for about a year now with a blown head gasket. The dealer said it's the #4 cylinder. The car has 109k on it.

I've considered time-certing the heads myself but really don't want to get that far into the engine. Even if I did, I would still have a block with the faulty main seals and 109k miles on it.

So, what I'm most likely going to do is get a remanufactured engine and do the swap myself. The company that I would purchase the engine from is AGAP in Texas. They claim to have allot of experience rebuilding the N* and offer a 3yr/unlimited mileage warranty on it.

Has anyone here had any experience with this company or heard anything about them?

What should I use to support the engine cradle so that I can move it from underneath the car once I've dropped the cradle? I know that there is a part number for this, but would like to know if there are any alternatives.

While I have the engine and tranny out, what would be some good things to do while I have easy access?

Thanks!

[big420atx]

if you are going to yank the motor anyways just fix it all and dont waste the money on a new motor.....just swap in the time-certs and better gaskets and your seals....it is such a breeze to work on a motor that is out of the car..

btw, what part of texas are you in and why do you say you think you have faulty seals instead of ones that are gone and just need a replacement..

[northstar11]

I replaced the head gaskets on my 97 eldorado. Got them replaced, and while the were in there, I had them replace all the main engine bearings (not a dealership. dont go to them). The whole job cost me $1000. Ran like new, at 140,000 miles

[CadillacSTS2003]

1k lol
def wasnt timeserted
the kit alone cost 3-400

[z06bigbird]

Originally Posted by greggm333

Hello,

My car has been sitting in the garage for about a year now with a blown head gasket. The dealer said it's the #4 cylinder. The car has 109k on it.

I've considered time-certing the heads myself but really don't want to get that far into the engine. Even if I did, I would still have a block with the faulty main seals and 109k miles on it.

So, what I'm most likely going to do is get a remanufactured engine and do the swap myself. The company that I would purchase the engine from is AGAP in Texas. They claim to have allot of experience rebuilding the N* and offer a 3yr/unlimited mileage warranty on it.

Has anyone here had any experience with this company or heard anything about them?



What should I use to support the engine cradle so that I can move it from underneath the car once I've dropped the cradle? I know that there is a part number for this, but would like to know if there are any alternatives.

While I have the engine and tranny out, what would be some good things to do while I have easy access?

Thanks!

Might consider jacking up the horn and putting a good car underneath it. I don't know if I would spend several thousand (including timeserts) on a vehicle that old. To each his own. If car is particularly clean, it might be worth it considering another used one might have similar problems.

Good luck.

[big420atx]

Originally Posted by CadillacSTS2003

1k lol
def wasnt timeserted
the kit alone cost 3-400

not all blocks need timeserts...also with a good steel core gasket i dont think it would ever go out again...you would really have to rape your car to do that shyt..

[JC316]

Originally Posted by CadillacSTS2003

1k lol
def wasnt timeserted
the kit alone cost 3-400

Not true, I changed the head gaskets and CV joints for $600 and I timeserted. Ebay is your friend when looking for expensive gadets like a timesert kit.

[Ranger]

Bearings almost never need to be replaced. While the motor is out, check the HVAC housing on the firewall. They tend to get brittle and crack with age. Can't be replaced with the motor in the car and repairing it will be much easier if you have to go that route.

[CadillacSTS2003]

i replaced the one in my moms deville with the motor in the car (the hvac housing that is)
was a total BIT** and i would NEVER do it again

[greggm333]

Originally Posted by big420atx

if you are going to yank the motor anyways just fix it all and dont waste the money on a new motor.....just swap in the time-certs and better gaskets and your seals....it is such a breeze to work on a motor that is out of the car..

btw, what part of texas are you in and why do you say you think you have faulty seals instead of ones that are gone and just need a replacement..

I'm in St. Louis, MO. I just found this company searching the internet, I've talked to them and they seem to know what they are doing and claim to have done allot of N* remans with no probs. They want 3200 for the reman engine and 100 to ship each way.

The seal between the two block halves is leaking, not sure if it's the rear or front. It's a common problem for early N*'s.

Do you think it will be a major pain in the a** to do the timecerts? I know that I'll have to drill the heads and I don't want to deal with any unforeseen problems.

It would save allot of cash if I just fixed it though. do you think the reman engine is worth it?

Thanks guys!

[greggm333]

Originally Posted by z06bigbird

Might consider jacking up the horn and putting a good car underneath it. I don't know if I would spend several thousand (including timeserts) on a vehicle that old. To each his own. If car is particularly clean, it might be worth it considering another used one might have similar problems.

Good luck.

The car is very clean. I've thought about buying another used one but, like you said, I could end up with the same problem. I'm the second owner of the car and it had 58k on it when I bought it. I got this problem because the engine overheated

Thanks

[greggm333]

Originally Posted by northstar11

I replaced the head gaskets on my 97 eldorado. Got them replaced, and while the were in there, I had them replace all the main engine bearings (not a dealership. dont go to them). The whole job cost me $1000. Ran like new, at 140,000 miles

I can't find anyone around here (St. Louis, MO) that is willing to work on it besides the dealer. There is no way that I'm going to pay them 2k just to fix the head gasket.

[Ranger]

Do you think it will be a major pain in the a** to do the timecerts? I know that I'll have to drill the heads and I don't want to deal with any unforeseen problems.

You drill and retap the block, not the heads.

[stoveguyy]

a dealer is probably the most competent shop that will do a proper headgasket job. they have the trained personnel that work on caddy motors compared to bob's fixall that works on everything but caddys. so you want to pay $600 to your brother in law to fix the heads and than complain that he screwed up or pay more and go to a dealer who will probably do the job right? i did the job myself and it is a ton of work. only a fool will charge less than a grand.

[greggm333]

How many hours did you put into it?